Audiobook Sample

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Dear fellow wanderers and story collectors,

There’s a particular magic that happens when an audiobook transports you so completely that you forget you’re listening to a recording – when the narrator’s voice becomes the warm Southern drawl of a new friend guiding you through moss-draped streets. That’s precisely what happened when I first pressed play on “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil”, narrated by Jeff Woodman, John Berendt, and Will Damron. As someone who’s spent years chasing stories in hidden corners of the world, from Oaxaca’s storytelling grandmothers to Chile’s surreal landscapes, I can tell you this audiobook experience lingers like the humid Savannah air it so vividly describes.

Berendt’s masterpiece – part true crime, part anthropological study of Savannah’s eccentric soul – unfolds like a slow, sweet cocktail on a veranda. The multiple narrators create a rich tapestry of voices that mirror the book’s ensemble cast. Woodman’s performance particularly stands out, capturing the cadence of Southern aristocracy and the sly humor of Berendt’s observations with equal finesse. When he voices the iconic Lady Chablis, I swear I could hear the clink of ice in her cocktail glass.

What makes this audiobook special is how it preserves the book’s essential duality – the way it balances journalistic precision with gothic atmosphere. The narrators handle this beautifully, shifting tones seamlessly between the factual courtroom drama and the magical realism of voodoo rituals in Bonaventure Cemetery. I found myself driving extra laps around my neighborhood just to listen to another chapter, much like I once did with García Márquez in the Atacama, hungry for just a few more minutes of this hypnotic storytelling.

The audio production enhances Berendt’s brilliant character studies – from the volatile Danny Hansford to the poison-owning recluse Luther Driggers. Each personality emerges distinct and vibrant, thanks to subtle vocal shifts that avoid caricature. When Damron narrates Jim Williams’ trial scenes, you can practically feel the starch in the lawyers’ collars and hear the ceiling fans stirring the thick courtroom air.

As a travel writer, I especially appreciated how the audiobook captures Savannah’s physicality – the way Woodman lingers on descriptions of wrought-iron balconies and the salt tang of the riverfront makes the city itself a central character. It reminded me of those perfect travel moments when a place reveals its hidden layers to you, whispering secrets in the golden hour light.

If I had one critique, it’s that the abridged runtime (just under 15 hours) left me craving even more of Savannah’s intoxicating atmosphere. Some secondary characters don’t get quite as much breathing room as in the print version. But this is a minor quibble for an otherwise flawless audio adaptation that honors the book’s legacy while creating something fresh.

For listeners who enjoyed “The Devil in the White City” or “In Cold Blood”, this audiobook offers a similar blend of meticulous research and narrative flair, but with a distinctly Southern Gothic twist. It’s perfect for long road trips or lazy Sunday afternoons when you want to be seduced by a story that’s equal parts champagne and swamp water – just be prepared to Google flights to Savannah afterward.

With a suitcase always half-packed for the next adventure,
Marcus Rivera